Isshin sheated wind move(s) option select ?

[Gamall Wednesday Ida]

Sword Saint, from the start, has two wind moves: horizontal and vertical

The thing is, I don't see any difference in the sheathed wind up until it's too late...

So far, the only options I have are running away and umbrella, neither of which I like. The first because I'd rather win on posture than drag out the fight, the second because I'd rather have a more elegant punish (and generally dislike using prosthetics on bosses)

Is there a way to tell which windup leads to which attack ? Is there a good option select even if you can't ? (I'm thinking maybe backing up just enough to bait the long range vertical attack and punish that, if he can change attack while sheathed -- untested)

[L9 dorothea]

afaik phase 1 is only the slash that sends 2 winds. i think in phase 2 he never puts the sword away so i think its only the spinny

[Gamall Wednesday Ida]

He has both from phase 1 (vertical double wind and single horizontal wind). Phase 3 introduces the double cross winds. Source: I *just* spent a lot of time with him.

Anyway, I just beat him. No prosthetics or anything fancy. I *still* don't know how to properly react to his sheathing the sword; I just blocked and ate the damage that went through.

It's always a bit underwhelming to beat a boss when you still take a lot of damage (pretty much *all of it* from those wind moves) and don't see anything that you could *reliably* do better.

I shall have to watch how the good players / SL1 runners do it. I hope the answer is not just "be ten years younger and have faster reaction times so you can perfect deflect the attack when it comes out."

[Gamall Wednesday Ida]

Watching a video, it appears that I was mistaken about it being a *sheathed* move, he has a different stance; between the grass and the wind, I don't see much of what he's doing...

[Sokurah]

Every move has its own indication. Not rng s**t here. Just observe.

[LAG]

if it's the giant aoe wind slash move that covvers a 360 degree angle then just goomba stomp his dumb face.